Mitt Romney

Electoral College Tie

I don't know who I'm voting for yet in 2012. I do know it won't be Obama. I know, I know, you all are shocked and dismayed. But no seriously, I'm not voting for Obama.

Perry is very interesting though. He's not afraid to bash and trash Obama. He would win any and every debate against him. Look for Obama to dodge and give excuses about why he won't debate Perry on this day or that day, or even any day if Perry ends up being the nominee.

More than any other potential GOP presidential candidate, President Obama fears Texas Gov. Rick Perry. That's because Perry is the only one who can devastate virtually any Obama claim.

Take the whine we hear most often from the President: That President George W. Bush handed him a terrible economic situation. As USA Today reported June 2: "[White House spokesman Jay] Carney noted that when Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009, he faced the worst economy since the Great Depression. Obama also inherited the biggest budget deficits in history, from a Republican President—George W. Bush—who had come into office with budget surpluses."

A full two and a half years after taking office, Team Obama still blames Bush—for everything except the fall of Adam. Well, there is one other elected chief executive who inherited a Bush economy: Rick Perry, as governor of Texas. And yet I have never once heard Perry whining that the state would be doing so much better if it hadn't been for the policies of his predecessor.

To use a football analogy—I mean, we're talking about Texas—it's not who hands you the football and it's not where the ball is handed to you, it's what you do with the ball after you have it.

Rick Perry took the ball from Bush and scored an economic touchdown for Texas. Obama took the ball from Bush and fumbled it—repeatedly—giving the other team a chance to score a touchdown.

Which brings us to the Obama vs. Perry records on the economy. What has happened to some of the key indicators of economic well-being since Obama has been in charge (roughly January of 2009 to June 2011)?

Obama's Record

Energy: Gasoline was $1.67 a gallon then. It's now $3.79.

Food: Average cost of a gallon of milk was about $2.65. It's about $3.50 today.

Housing: The median cost of a home was $229,600. Today it's $217,900.

Budget deficit: We fell $438 billion short of balancing the federal budget in 2008. We missed it by $1.4 trillion this year—nearly four times higher.

Unemployment: Then, 7.3% of Americans were unemployed and 9.1% are unemployed today.

To be fair, not everyone has done poorly under Obama. Federal government employees have made out like bandits. Mercatus Center (George Mason University) economist Veronique de Rugy noted last January that "federal employment has grown by 98,000 employees since the start of the recession." And USA Today reported last year: "Federal civil servants earned average pay and benefits of $123,049 in 2009 while private workers made $61,051 in total compensation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis."

Perry's Record

A recent state-by-state comparison study by the Texas Public Policy Foundation found that Texas had a state tax burden of 8.4%, compared to a U.S. average of 9.7%. And the Texas gross state product grew 94.5% over 10 years, vs. 66.3% for the rest of the country.

Texas far outpaces other states in job creation. Michael Cox and Richard Alm, director and writer-in-residence, respectively, at Southern Methodist University's William J. O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom write: "From January 2000 to June 2010 [Perry's tenure], Texas had a net increase of nearly 1.1 million jobs—more than any other state by far. In fact, Texas' outsized gains eclipsed the total of the next five job-creating states: Florida, Arizona, Virginia, Utah and Washington."

More importantly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that Texas created 129,000 new jobs in 2009—a recession year. That was more than half of all the jobs created in the country.

The Brookings Institution published a study earlier this year looking at job growth in major cities. Texas had five of the top 10 cities, with Austin leading the country in job growth.

See why Obama is concerned about a Perry bid? Would you want to stand before the public in a presidential debate and defend Obama's record compared with Perry's?

Not being able to defend his own economic record, or attack Perry's, Obama would try to paint Perry in a negative light. That wouldn't be easy. Perry served three terms in the Texas House as a Democrat, and supported Al Gore's 1988 presidential bid. That was when there were still some conservative Democrats. Perry switched to the Republican Party in 1989.

Because Perry is from Texas, Obama would accuse him of being in bed with the oil and gas industry. And yet Perry just signed a law requiring gas drillers to publicize the chemicals they use in "fracking" to extract the gas. As the Wall Street Journal reported on June 20, "Environmental groups said the law doesn't go far enough, but they agreed it was an important step."

Obama would also accuse Perry of being out of touch with most Americans. But Cox and Alm of Southern Methodist University's O'Neil Center found in a different study that "Texas led all other states with a net in-migration of 500,000 people from 2004 to 2008." People are voting with their feet and moving to Texas.

George Bush Clone?

And Obama would certainly try to accuse Perry of being a George Bush clone, perhaps because President Bush wouldn't raise taxes and neither has Gov. Perry. But Perry's conservative record in Texas, especially on holding the line on spending, would demonstrate clear distinctions.

Obama's Expansionism

There is one more area where a Rick Perry comparison would embarrass the President: government intrusion. Obama has tried to fundamentally transform our federalist system of government by transferring power and decisions from states to Washington and giving thousands of unelected bureaucrats the power to make decisions for us, controlling some of the most important, not to mention personal, aspects of our lives.

Just with respect to ObamaCare, the President has unconstitutionally demanded that every American have health insurance and has transferred decision-making power over countless health care decisions to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and her minions.

Perry, by contrast, has been a vocal leader for restoring the role of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which asserts that those powers not enumerated in the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.

President Obama has a terrible economic record and the White House and Democrats know it. Defending that record would be a little easier against, say, a Mitt Romney, who implemented a similar health care law in Massachusetts.

You like the wrong fucking guy... This is the guy who said Texas doesn't need any bail out money... then takes it. We didn't need it either, since 2008 4 of 10 every jobs created in the united states came from Texas. Perry isn't even worth talking about. Our school system is shit, our roads are shit. Perry is an idiot.

There is really only one candidate that stands out (at the moment) as a potential challenger to Obama, and that's Romney. Perry couldn't win an independent vote to save his life. No Democrats will crossover to vote for him. He cannot carry any Northeastern states, nor any Midwestern states. Perry is the exact opposite of Mitt Romney (who could win several toss-up states, could win a majority of independents, will have disheartened Democrats crossing over, and will most likely will the South by default.)

I don't know who I'm voting for yet in 2012. I do know it won't be Obama. I know, I know, you all are shocked and dismayed. But no seriously, I'm not voting for Obama.

Perry is very interesting though. He's not afraid to bash and trash Obama. He would win any and every debate against him. Look for Obama to dodge and give excuses about why he won't debate Perry on this day or that day, or even any day if Perry ends up being the nominee.

I like it.

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Deciding you won't vote for the guy before you even know the opponent?

I don't know who I'm voting for yet in 2012. I do know it won't be Obama. I know, I know, you all are shocked and dismayed. But no seriously, I'm not voting for Obama.

Perry is very interesting though. He's not afraid to bash and trash Obama. He would win any and every debate against him. Look for Obama to dodge and give excuses about why he won't debate Perry on this day or that day, or even any day if Perry ends up being the nominee.

I like it.

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You realize Perry is a complete and total shill? He (like Pawlenty) isn't even a genuine conservative. They're both progressive globalists (damn near neoconservatives). He's acting the part of a rabid 10th amendment supporting, gun-loving, secessionist because it's the direct opposite of the truth, an amoral globalist clearing the way for the Trans-Texas Corridor.

Where's all his 10th amendment talk, Texas for Texans, individual rights, and blatherings of sovereignty when it comes down to the issue of eminent domain? To build a highway for foreign investors.

What conservative in their right mind would vote for a guy wanting to flood America with trash-goods produced in sweatshops from Mexico?

People wonder why we don't have manufacturing jobs in this country anymore...

When it comes to Prez candidates, Repubs are the party of "who's turn is it.? In the last 50 years, the Rs have essentially come up with Nixon and Bush administrations. Maybe I'm oversimplifying this, but something about Bush Sr. being former CIA chief, then his son being Prez for 8 yrs, makes me think Reagan wasn't really running the nation.

If you value "shaking up" Washington DC, I don't see how the Republican party is the one you are waiting for to get that done.

When it comes to Prez candidates, Repubs are the party of "who's turn is it.? In the last 50 years, the Rs have essentially come up with Nixon and Bush administrations. Maybe I'm oversimplifying this, but something about Bush Sr. being former CIA chief, then his son being Prez for 8 yrs, makes me think Reagan wasn't really running the nation.

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Both parties do it.. It was Hillary's turn 4 years ago.. Nobody knew the caucuses would turn out the way they did for Obama. No one saw it coming.

But rep for the bolded statement. Bush Sr. was a very powerful man.. And think about this one: when he ran for Congress, was he CIA? How many Congresspersons do we have that are active CIA secret agents? Makes you wonder don't it?

Nobody knew the caucuses would turn out the way they did for Obama. No one saw it coming.

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That alone might be enough to let him have another 4 years. If you're totally against liberal politics, then, whatever. But, if you're on the fence, then I think you should look at this 2012 election as a chance to give a REAL outsider the opportunity to make REAL change without having to worry about reelection. If you REALLY care about changing DC politics, why not give him that chance? And no, I don't want to hear your paranoid, racist conspiracy theory about how Obama wants a depression and a one world govt. Yeah, I'm talking to you Glen Beck, you fucking crazy shill.

I don't know. I just think changing the WAY Congress does their job seems like priority #1 right now. The rhetoric and hyperbole is heartbreaking. I know voting for Obama won't directly affect that, but I haven't seen an alternative that has any chance in hell.

Deciding you won't vote for the guy before you even know the opponent?

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Oh hell yes. Fact is; I know quite a few very much liberal people who have stated they won't vote for Obama either. Most of them are for reasons different from mine though. LOL They don't feel he's liberal enough and I feel he's extremely liberal and has been in campaign mode for the most part since 2009. I feel this country is much worse off right now than it was in 2008, and it's not even close in my mind. Nothing Obama has done has helped the economy one bit. Don't tell me about how bad it was when he took office as that's a cop out and an excuse that is now extremely old. Or how many jobs his policies have "saved". LOL The fact is; real unemployment is ridiculously high. The country is overall in much worse shape than it was before Obama took office. Nothing written otherwise can spin it's way to change my mind.

Oh hell yes. Fact is; I know quite a few very much liberal people who have stated they won't vote for Obama either. Most of them are for reasons different from mine though. LOL They don't feel he's liberal enough and I feel he's extremely liberal and has been in campaign mode for the most part since 2009. I feel this country is much worse off right now than it was in 2008, and it's not even close in my mind. Nothing Obama has done has helped the economy one bit. Don't tell me about how bad it was when he took office as that's a cop out and an excuse that is now extremely old. Or how many jobs his policies have "saved". LOL The fact is; real unemployment is ridiculously high. The country is overall in much worse shape than it was before Obama took office. Nothing written otherwise can spin it's way to change my mind.

ANY nominee that runs against Obama will get my vote. Period.

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yeah i can see how the president willing to cut SS and medicare is too liberal for you.

Doug's arguments are the same in every political thread: "Don't give me that sorry bullshit about Obama inheriting a shitty economy. I mean, how could a president not fix the entire country's problems in 2.5 years?!? Insanity!"

As a follow-on to Perry's famous “Pray for Rain” rally in April, he’s now planning an evangelical hoedown in August, called “The Response,” that features a sort of who’s who of radical theocrats, including John Hagee, the Christian Zionist leader whose support John McCain felt constrained to repudiate in 2008 after Hagee called Adolf Hitler an agent of God’s plans to return the Jews to their biblical homeland. The expressed purpose of the upcoming event is to seek divine intervention to fix America, apparently via the propitiation of an angry God by the abandonment of such abominations as legalized abortion, same-sex relationships, and church-state separation.